Government investigations into I-9 forms have skyrocketed in the past two years. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are aggressively pursuing a harsh new worksite strategy focusing on employers.

Administrative I-9 audits are ICE's tool of choice. This year, ICE issued a record number of I-9 audits, a 375% increase from 2008.

Is your organization next?

Strict compliance to the often-confusing I-9 rules is your only defense against serious monetary penalties and even criminal arrests. (A Michigan business owner received a 10-year prison sentence for hiring illegals!)

Too often, company execs and HR managers assume their I-9 compliance practices are in order when, in fact, their records and policies are littered with mistakes, leaving the business and individuals open to fines, lawsuits, and jail time. Are you sure that your I-9 practices can pass muster?

With I-9 Compliance Workshop: The 10 Commandments of Employee Verification, you’ll be learning from a true immigration law expert and Washington insider. Attorney Kevin Lashus is a former assistant chief counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Specifically, you will learn:

I-9 101. Discover the 10 essential steps to correctly fill out an I-9.

Documents. Which documents can you review for Lists A, B and C — and what has changed?

Copying. Should you make copies of driver’s licenses and other supporting documents?

Review. How far are you required to go to determine if a document is “genuine”?

Retention. Where must you store I-9s? Is a “binder system” the best? And how long must you retain them … 1 year, 3 years, more?

Disposal. What’s the proper way to discard of I-9s — must you shred them?

Reverification. How can you handle reverification in the most legally safe and efficient way possible?

Internal audits. What can be corrected and who should be auditing?

Best practices. What else should you be doing?

Electronic I-9 systems. What to consider when going paperless.

The penalties are severe for I-9 violations, and the government is no longer negotiating fines of pennies on the dollar. Fines for "substantive" violations can reach $16,000 for each occurrence.

ICE is also focused on building criminal cases out of I-9 audits. In fact, immigration-related work site arrests (including HR professionals!) have skyrocketed more than 1200% in the past five years.

Don’t run the risk of your boss (or you!) being led off in handcuffs. Develop solid, audit-proof I-9 practices with this recording.

Sincerely, Pat DiDomenico Editorial Director, HR Specialist

P.S. Your satisfaction is unconditionally guaranteed. If I-9 Compliance Workshop fails to meet your needs, we will refund every penny you paid — no hassles, no questions asked.

Kevin Lashus is the managing partner of the Austin, Texas, office of Jackson Lewis LLP. He focuses his practice on corporate employment verification compliance and inbound business immigration. Mr. Lashus assists clients in developing employment authorization and immigration compliance systems — including full-scale or localized IMAGE and E-Verify implementation protocols. Kevin previously served as assistant chief counsel at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he advised special agents on immigration prosecutions and worksite enforcement actions. He is board certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Who Should Listen:

HR professionals

Supervisors and managers

Executives

Business owners

Credit Hours:

This recording has been approved for 1.25 credit hours toward PHR and SPHR recertification through the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI).

"The use of this seal is not an endorsement by HR Certification Institute of the quality of the program. It means that this program has met HR Certification Institute's criteria to be pre-approved for recertification credit."